Dubai’s lavish lifestyle makes people wonder about the high cost of living in the metropolis. Whether you’re planning to move to Dubai or are already a resident, managing a decent lifestyle within your budget can be challenging. Learning to strike the right balance is crucial. Here are top tips for living in Dubai on a budget while enjoying a comfortable lifestyle.
Start With Budgeting
Before moving ahead, we need to prepare a detailed budget. This should estimate all the expenses and the revenue for the month. By doing this, you can easily compare the earnings and expenses and adjust your budget, if necessary.
The most important tip is to stick to the budget. This will ensure necessary savings that you can utilise for other important activities.
Tips & Tricks for Living in Dubai on a Budget
Does your monthly salary end with days on end? Fear not; these budget-friendly tips have you covered.
Residence
The biggest issue expats or residents face is the high cost of renting a house in Dubai. For many people, residence costs them half of their salary. Here are the essential tips to follow:
Move to Affordable Areas
Having a clear idea about your budget allows you to move to budget-friendly housing areas in Dubai, ensuring you avoid paying hefty rent without compromising your lifestyle. The city offers a range of areas to suit various budgets.
Having a clear idea about your budget, you can easily move to any of these top areas to rent in Dubai. This helps you avoid paying hefty rent without compromising the amenities Dubai has to offer.
Finding a Cost-Friendly Area
Dubai has areas to suit all budget ranges. Besides, one can find decent housing with access to amenities like parks, markets and shops. Some low-cost areas in Dubai include Deira and International City.
You can easily search for the best property for your needs by applying cost and amenities filters on Property Finder.
Living Near Office or School
An important tip is to live near your workplace. The money saved from other tips should not be spent on commuting. Moreover, if you are living with your family, it is better to live near your child’s school.
Co-Renting a Property
Many people coming to Dubai as students or job holders choose to rent an apartment in the metropolitan city. However, this can be heavy on the pockets considering a single person has to pay the rent. Here comes the concept of co-renting.
Got friends, colleagues or acquaintances who are looking to rent out a house? Ask them to share the apartment. Divide the rent and save big bucks. However, ensure to follow the laws regarding co-renting in Dubai.
Transport
Travelling around the bustling city can be expensive. Here are the transportation hacks for managing a Dubai lifestyle on a budget:
Use Public Transport
Dubai Roads and Transport Authority makes sure to provide the best and most convenient modes of public transport in Dubai. These include bus, tram, metro, taxi and marine.
For regular commuting to work or educational institutes, it is recommended to use the public transport. Use a nol card to save costs and enjoy hassle-free travel at just 300 to 350 AED a month.
Travel Smartly
Another tip to live on a budget is to follow the smart travel tips. If two or more people are commuting to nearby areas, why not travel together? Carpooling can help not exceed the budget by reducing per-head fuel costs.
Groceries and Household Essentials
Groceries and households are the essentials of daily life. But they can also make you exceed your budget. Here are the tips for managing grocery shopping on a budget:
Bulk Buying
Bulk buying groceries and household items at the same time offers discounts and also saves fuel costs from traveling frequently.
Choose Budget-Friendly Stores
Dubai is popular for low-cost and high-quality household and grocery shopping. Among the many popular names, some that stand out include Union Cooperative, Nesto Hypermarket, and LuLu.
Buy Online
To save travel costs, a good option is to order all essentials online. Many markets in Dubai, such as the LuLu hypermarkets, have online shopping features available. Just order through the app or website and get fresh groceries delivered to your doorstep.
Make a List
To avoid multiple visits to the supermarket, make sure to list down the essentials to buy beforehand.
Food
For budget-friendly living, it is recommended to cook at home majorly. However, to balance out, you must go to explore the different food varieties available, occasionally.
There are a lot of low-cost cafes and restaurants in Dubai. Many restaurants offer big discounts and deals on special occasions like Eid.
Utilities
A major contributor to the high cost of living in Dubai is the DEWA utility bills. Here are the steps to ensure nothing falls out of the budget range:
- Turn off the switches and lights when not in use or before embarking on travel.
- Turn off all the taps properly to avoid wastage of water.
- Keep the AC temperature high to lower electricity consumption.
- Fix any leakages and use faucet aerators to save water.
- Lower the utility consumption during the peak hours, i.e., 12 pm – 6 pm.
Schooling
Living with your family in Dubai? Finding schools in Dubai with high-quality curricula and pocket-friendly fees can be a big problem. Let’s find out tips on how to stick to a budget in this area.
- Look for schools that offer scholarships or fee waivers to deserving students.
- Consider enrolling your students in high-standard public schools. There is no need to worry about the education standard; it is regulated by the Educational Department.
- Some private schools, such as Indian ones, are generally cost-effective and provide the same level of education to your children.
Leisure Activities
Relaxation and time away from the daily hustle is a necessity. However, in Dubai’s luxury, one might find it difficult to not spend out of budget on entertainment activities. Here comes the solution!
From beautiful free-entrance parks to attractive landscapes and beaches, Dubai’s parks and resorts offer many budget-friendly activities and places to explore.
Tight on budget? Save money throughout the year to plan a family trip once a year.
FAQs
Renting an apartment in a low-cost area, focusing on utility consumption, and properly planning and budgeting can easily reduce your living costs.
It can vary depending on the person’s lifestyle. However, on average, the cost of living in Dubai ranges between AED 5,625 and AED 9,245.
You can easily find low-cost apartments in Deira in Dubai. Besides, Al Nahda is also considered a budget-friendly area to rent an apartment.
This wraps up all the tips and tricks for living in Dubai on a budget. By following these strategies, you can significantly reduce expenses and save for future needs.
Furthermore, you can also check out our guide to revamping your bedroom on a budget.
